The Yarn of the Day

WOC attendees spin tales of their own.

Jimmy Ambrose (seated) talks with one of his readers, James Dowland, of Brentwood, Tenn., at World of Concrete.

Another World of Concrete has come and gone, and what an event it was this year. Lots of visitors, new ideas, and new equipment. I hadn't been to the event in quite a few years. It was fun to see some of the old faces, as well as new ones.

Thanks to all who stopped to visit me at the Speakers Corner on the second floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center. I got some really good stories from all of you. Everyone seemed to love the model of the ready-mix truck I gave away for the best story of the day. It was a big hit. I didn't even mind giving directions to people who lost their way in the cavernous building. I always thought I had a bit of traffic cop in me.

It was great meeting each and every one of you who continue to make “As The Drum Turns” a fun part of this magazine. I received several story ideas, and I look forward to using them throughout the year.

For those of you who didn't get a chance to stop by and meet me in the flesh, you can still send me your stories and anecdotes by e-mail. I'm always looking for suggestions and yarns.

In keeping with the promise we made to those of you who won, the following story is from the first of the winners. This came from Chuck and Joy Brasso of Concrete Ideas in Bellflower, Calif.

How do you make this go?

The Brassos' little grandson number 4, Bubbie, was really excited as Christmas morning came around. When he came to visit, he discovered that Papa had a brand new skid steer loader on a trailer in the driveway.

Thinking it would lead him to greater adventures than bug catching and rock arranging, he put on his little hardhat, climbed onto the machine, and dutifully buckled the seatbelt.

Not content to sit silently, he began a curious search of the interior for any sign of how to make the machine roar into action and leap off the trailer. Unable to locate a familiar circle in the metal housing, he asked, “Where do you put the money to make it go?”

Later, when Papa bought a dump truck, they posted a little photo of it on the family Web site to show off the new piece of equipment. Not realizing that it was a full-size truck, Bubbie told his mother that he wanted the dump truck to play with.

So they simply told him, “It'll take a very big sandbox for you to play with this truck.”

I guess the moral of the story is, we all have to start small before moving on to the life-size equipment.